09/11/2026
Twenty-five years ago today, on September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 innocent lives were taken in an act of unimaginable terror.
We remember those we lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93 in Shanksville.
But we also remember what America showed the world that day.
Firefighters, police officers, EMTs, first responders, and ordinary Americans ran toward danger to save people they had never met. In the days and months that followed, thousands more worked through the rubble and toxic debris, often without regard for their own health.
And in the face of unimaginable tragedy, America came together.
We came from different backgrounds. We held different beliefs. We disagreed about many things. But on that day, and in the days that followed, we stood together as Americans.
We helped our neighbors. We flew our flag. We prayed together. We mourned together. We reminded the world - and ourselves - that when America is tested, we stand together.
For thousands of first responders, recovery workers, survivors, and their families, September 11 is not simply a memory. Many continue to battle cancers, respiratory disease, and other serious illnesses resulting from their exposure.
We remember, too, the children who grew up without a mother or father, the husbands and wives who lost a spouse, and the families whose lives were forever changed.
And we honor the men and women who answered our nation's call in the years that followed, leaving their own families behind to defend our country and our freedom.
Twenty-five years later, we owe them more than our remembrance.
We honor those we lost by caring for those who still suffer. We honor their families by remembering the price they have carried. We honor those who sacrificed for us by striving to remain worthy of their sacrifice.
And we honor them by remembering what September 11 taught us about ourselves: whatever our differences, we are one people, one nation, and when it matters most, we stand together as Americans.
That is a legacy worth carrying forward - for those we lost, for those who still bear the scars, for their children and families, and for the generations of Americans who will follow us.
We will never forget. ๐บ๐ธ